Motorcyclist hurt in Encinitas crash

Rider skidded several feet on roadway after driver cut him off

ENCINITAS  A 37-year-old motorcyclist was seriously injured in Encinitas Sunday after being cut off by an 18-year-old driver.

The rider, who was traveling about 30 mph, was heading south on South Coast Highway 101 past the entrance to Swami’s Seaside Park about noon when he was hit, sheriff’s Corporal Brenda Sipley said.

Investigators said the teen driver was in his newly-bought 1990 Volvo 240 which was parked at the curb when he pulled out in front of the motorcyclist and the bike hit the car’s front right wheel, Sipley said.

The impact knocked the rider off his 2002 Suzuki GSX 1300 and he skidded some 50 feet on the asphalt before stopping. He suffered multiple broken ribs and lacerations to internal organs, Sipley said. The man was taken to a hospital where he was admitted to intensive care.

Sipley said alcohol was not a factor in the crash. The speed limit on the highway is 45 mph, the corporal said.